Steve Parish Publishing

Steve Parish Publishing's work in aiding conservation and knowledge of Australian animals and wild places would not be possible without a large stable of talented authors, illustrators and photographers, all of whom enhance our publications by bringing their expertise, expression and creativity to our books.

Our team of inhouse and freelance writers includes world-renowned experts, best-selling children's authors, intrepid travel writers, Whitley Award-winning natural historians, and scientific and interpretive writers who convert complex scientific information into easy-to-read text that will engage any reader or age group. Talented illustrators and artists also provide scientific diagrams and wonderfully created illustrated works for children's books or natural history texts. And, of course, many external and internal photographers supplement Steve's work with their own excellent and often hard-to-obtain images or simply provide us with photographs that are just too striking to omit.

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce our authors, illustrators and other photographers and to thank them for being part of Steve Parish Publishing. If you are interested in writing, illustrating or photographing for Steve Parish Publishing, please click here.

Meet Our Authors, Artists and Photographers

Robert Allen has always loved drawing. Like many contemporaries from his childhood, he decorated the margins of his school books with imaginary characters and animals. In 1980, when he started at the Queensland Museum as an exhibition designer and occasional illustrator... read more

Tony Ayling decided to become a marine biologist when he was ten years old. He has followed his dream ever since. He started scuba diving at the age of fourteen and has spent over 10,000 hours observing marine life... read more

Karin Cox is an editor, poet and Whitley-Award-winning author who grew up on a farm in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland — inspiring her love for nature. After graduating with a degree in English Literature & Communication Studies, she worked as an editor for a number of publishers... read more

Kylie Currey grew up on a dairy farm in the Gold Coast Hinterland, which inspired her appreciation of wildlife and her love of exploring the environment. She has two university degrees, in science and education, and taught biology in high schools before working as an education officer... read more

Greg Czechura currently works as a Senior Information Officer in the Publications & Photography Department, Queensland Museum. He is well known for his interest in raptors and has studied the enigmatic Red Goshawk. Greg has published numerous scientific papers...read more

Allan Fox is an esteemed naturalist who attributes his love for nature to the diversity of the Australian continent itself. A prolific writer and a passionate educator, Allan has written numerous scientific articles and books... read more

Thomas Hamlyn-Harris's childhood was spent in Brisbane, drawing, day-dreaming and melting plastic animals together to make hybrid monsters. After studying fine art and multi-media he worked as a designer and art director... read more

Patrick Honan has had a lifelong fascination with Australian insects and spiders, from collecting Emperor Gum Moth caterpillars at primary school to rearing Hercules Moth caterpillars today. Patrick has contributed to a range of children’s books and has written a number of scientific papers... read more

Cathy Hope is a primary school teacher, author of 28 books and was State-wide education officer at the Children’s Museum in Melbourne. Cathy's intrigue and appreciation for native wildflowers was nurtured by... read more

Rod Howard is an Australian writer and freelance journalist, and the author of Getting Hitched, and The Fabulist: The Incredible Story of Louis De Rougemont. His writing spans a range of genres, including biography, fiction, travel, and feature writing for Australian newspapers... read more

Rebecca Johnson is a Brisbane author and part-time teacher who has written more than 40 Steve Parish Story Books. Her books feature Australian native animals (with some farmyard characters) and have become favourites throughout Australia and internationally. read more

Kerry Kitzelman is a children's writer and illustrator who began drawing and painting for enjoyment from a very early age. He began in much the same way as many children, when he received a number of colouring books as gifts. These simple colouring and drawing skills...read more

Paul Lennon has been illustrating books for many publishers and government agencies since the Palaeolithic Era. He also worked as a newspaper artist and cartoonist for 12 years during the Early Triassic Period and now illustrates for a wide range of print clients...read more

Ted Lewis spent many years as an editor with Steve Parish Publishing. He is currently a freelance writer living and working in Brisbane, Queensland, and has penned several Steve Parish titles...
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Michael Morcombe took his first photograph of a bird when he was in high school. It was a black and white shot of a Grey Fantail on its nest. From that time on, Michael has rarely been out of a bird hide, watching and following birds' calls and behaviour, all in the pursuit of the perfect photo... read more

Raoul Slater was born in Perth, Western Australia, in 1966. His father, Peter, is a wildlife artist. His mother, Pat, authored many books about horses and nature and also wrote extensively for Steve Parish Publishing. Together they wrote The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds... read more

Stephen Swanson first came across a Bearded Dragon when he was just eleven, and it was this chance encounter that resulted in his life-long fascination with reptiles. As a young boy he collected lizards, snakes and turtles, and even kept a crocodile in a heated aquarium... read more

John Cann’s fascination with freshwater turtles has lasted over fifty years and shows no sign of dimming. He has personally discovered and named several new turtle species and has written numerous papers and books on turtles... read more

Emma Harm graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Communications (Design), majoring in Photography—a degree that gained her a job in the publishing industry, where she has worked for fifteen years. For nearly a decade, Emma has been responsible for managing the image library of award-winning wildlife photographer Steve Parish, a task that includes assisting Steve, as well as shooting her own images of wildlife, architecture, cityscapes and landscapes for use in the company’s publications ...read more

Greg Harm—as a keen photographer with an eye for the unusual and a self-confessed gadget and computer geek—was plucked from the IT logistics and customer service industry by Steve Parish to work as an information technology and photographic editing specialist in the image library at Steve Parish Publishing ... read more.

Cath Jones is a prominent natural history author and researcher with a long history of field research. Her excellent knowledge of Australian fauna, combined with degrees in Biological Science and Journalism, enable her to write in layman’s terms about... read more

Michele Perry has worked as an editor for Steve Parish Publishing for many years now. Like most talented editors, she sometimes steps into the shoes of writer. She has worked on numerous publications for Steve Parish Publishing. Before beginning her career in publishing, Michele worked on the opposite side of the counter... read more

Catherine Prentice, as an author, teacher and mother, has a personal and professional interest in children’s education. She is also passionate about the environment... read more

Pat Slater was an equine photojournalist, a gifted wordsmith and poet, and an inspired photographer who wrote for Steve Parish Publishing for many years, even earning a Whitley lifetime achievement award for her efforts in natural history writing. Editor of equine publications... read more

Wynne Webber is another former SPP editor who now enjoys the freelance life. She has written many titles for Steve Parish Publishing, from coffee table and souvenir books to children's natural history... read more

Doug Welch is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His love of astronomy began at age eight when he first saw Saturn and the Moon through a small telescope. As a professional astronomer for the last two decades...read more

Britt Winter was another of Steve Parish Publishing's eagle-eyed editors. She often turned her hand to writing, penning a number of eloquent titles in the spirit and gift book ranges... read more